1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an animal feeder in particular it relates to a feeder capable of dispensing cylindrical bales of hay to livestock.
2. Related Art
Round bales of feed material are commonly used to feed livestock. Some of the most common feeders that are designed to receive a cylindrical bale of feed are simply a plurality of circular rails which are connected to form a cylindrical body of a size to fit around the periphery of the round bale of hay.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,609 to Delichte discloses a livestock feeder that has an inner frame for supporting the round bale of hay and an outer frame having bars spaced sufficiently to allow an animal to pass its head between the bars to reach the hay. Another example includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,058,531 to Akins which discloses a feeder having a skirt which is of a generally cylindrical shape for surrounding the round bale of hay. Other types of feeders include U.S. Pat. No. 5,158,040 to Martin and U.S. Pat. No. 5, 067,442 to Schilling which are basically rectangular in design.